Dispatches from the silver key

Arcane Arts

This past week I finished To Leave a Warrior Behind, a biography of the late Charles Saunders, author of Imaro and other heroic fantasy stories.

Saunders lived a solitary existence, choosing to connect through voluminous letter-writing with dozens of correspondents. Divorced and without family he died alone in May 2020, surrounded by piles of books and very little else to his name. His body was ultimately buried in an unmarked grave.

In short, not the traditional definition of success.

It’s a story that could have been quite dark. Miraculously, it is not. Author Jon Tattrie shows us another side of success in this fantastic new biography.

To Leave A Warrior Behind is a transformative work, in that it might change what you think it means to be a “successful” author. Saunders was that, and moreover was a unique human being, and now will be rightly remembered.

You can read my full review on the blog. There is much more to recommend beyond what I wrote even in that lengthy review. For example, the co-founder of Night Shade Books undergoing a significant religious conversion to Christianity and repudiating his career in the fantasy and horror genres, which led to Imaro’s second cancellation. Wild stuff that was part of the ill-luck that plagued Saunders throughout his life.

Tattrie at times brushes up to hagiography of Saunders’ fiction and unfairly knocks down Howard/Conan to build up Imaro. But this is a minor critique and I can assign it to author subjectivity. I wholeheartedly recommend To Leave a Warrior Behind to anyone with an interest in sword-and-sorcery or just appreciated well-told human interest stories. It’s the kind of work I’d like to see done on the likes of Karl Edward Wagner, Fritz Leiber, C.L. Moore, and others, all of whom lack a proper biography. Support it by buying a copy.

Raising Kane

I thought I had exhausted news of all things Kane in the last issue of Arcane Arts. But the red-headed, blue-eyed bastard is immortal and so has an annoying tendency to keep coming back.

Breakfast in the Ruins, a podcast primarily about the works of Michael Moorcock, recently published an episode reviewing the short story “Reflections on the Winter of My Soul,” as well as the Elric/Kane crossover story “The Gothic Touch.” You can listen to that here. Breakfast in the Ruins has stayed in my rotation due to the host’s knowledge of the subject matter but also his engaging, self-deprecating British humor.

Then came a second blast of Kane, in the form of heavy metal thunder from Austin, TX-based Eternal Champion. Eternal Champion’s lead singer Jason Tarpey is a sword-and-sorcery author published by DMR Books, and a big fan KEW’s most famous creation, as evidenced by their new EP Friend of War. It contains two epic length tracks, “Friend of War” and “Yslsl.” Kane references quite apparent.

I am a dinosaur when it comes to metal but Eternal Champion is a rare new band that has my caught my attention. Their third full-length album will be released later this year. Check them out on all places you can find metal on the interwebs.

RIP Michael Hague, Hobbit illustrator

I was saddened to hear of the passing of artist Michael Hague on March 10, age 77. Hague had a lengthy and productive career illustrating several classic works, including The Wind in the Willows, Hans Christian Anderson’s Fairy Tales, The Reluctant Dragon, The Wizard of Oz, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Secret Garden, and Peter Pan. In 2009 he branched out into graphic novels.

Hague is best known to me for his work illustrating J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. I have this very edition, it’s awesome. Here’s a favorite:

​You can find a remembrance of Hague’s life and works here, replete with his fantastic illustrations.

Some Robert E. Howard updates

Voting closed this week for the 2026 Robert E. Howard awards. You can find a list of the nominees here. ​

As a paying member of the foundation I was permitted to vote, and did. Robert E. Howard: The Life and Times of a Texas Author by Will Oliver is running unopposed in the Atlantean category for best book but would have beaten any other contender in that slot; it’s an incredibly deserving winner. Several heavyweights are vying for the Black Circle—Special Achievement Award. The Rankin (Artistic Achievement) and Black Lotus (Outstanding Achievement—Web Based) are also well-represented.

Good luck to all the nominees.

BTW the fundraiser for repairs to the Robert E. Howard house passed the halfway mark due to a recent $20,000 donation from the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society.

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